People have been clamoring for a long time that the Pittsburgh Steelers need to make a coaching change on the offensive side of the ball. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada has come under fire pretty much his entire tenure with the franchise, as he was the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2020 before taking over as offensive coordinator in 2021.
The people who were hoping for a change will finally be getting one. On Tuesday morning, the Steelers announced that they would be relieving Canada of his duties as offensive coordinator, as he has been fired.
“Matt Canada has been relieved of his duties as offensive coordinator. I appreciate Matt’s hard work and dedication and I wish him the best moving forward in his career,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement.
A change of this magnitude just doesn’t happen with the Steelers. Per ESPN Stats & Info, Canada is the first head coach or coordinator that has been let go during the season by the franchise since 1941. That was a weird time in Pittsburgh, as they had three coaches, half-owner Bert Bell, Aldo Doneli and Walt Kiesling.
Moving on from Canada is something that Tomlin has been trying to avoid all season. No one would have blamed the team for doing it during their bye week earlier in the season, as Canada was afforded numerous chances to turn things around.
Alas, Sunday’s 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns was the last straw. The only real positive play the Pittsburgh offense was able to muster in that game was a 74-yard touchdown run by Jaylen Warren on the second play from scrimmage in the second half.
There were plenty of opportunities to win that game, but the offense was stuck in the mud. Some credit does need to be given to the Browns, who have an excellent defense this season. But, the Steelers did themselves no favors with how they played.
The Steelers are 6-4 on the season but their offense has contributed very little to that success. They have a negative point differential on the season at -29 and have been outgained in every game. That isn’t a recipe for success as they have defied all logic by having a winning record.
Through Week 11, the Steelers are near the bottom in almost all offensive stats. Had it not been for the historically poor performances of the New York Jets, New York Giants and New England Patriots, all eyes would be on the poor offensive performance occurring in the Steel City.
With Canada as the offensive coordinator, the Steelers had a record of 24-19-1, which was 12th best in the NFL. But, they ranked 27th or worse in offensive points per game, total yards per game, yards per play, red zone touchdown percentage and no first down percentage.
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